Easy Apple and Cinnamon Cake

This easy apple and cinnamon cake is one of my favourite Autumn bakes. It’s delicious with a cup of tea or served with lashings of vanilla custard for a cosy pudding. It’s very simple to make and takes less than one hour to bake.

This cinnamon scented apple cake is one of my favourite cakes to make.

It’s not a fancy “showstopper” of a cake – it wouldn’t really win any prizes for the prettiest bake – but it tastes wonderful.

It’s buttery, light, moist (sorry but there’s no getting away from it!) and packed full of sweet apples. If you are a fan of apple pie, then I think you will love this cake.

You just need a handful of storecupboard ingredients to whip up this homely, farmhouse-style cake – butter or baking margarine, caster sugar, self-raising flour, ground cinnamon, salt, vanilla extract, eggs, milk and of course the star ingredient, fresh apples.

A crunchy cinnamon sugar is sprinkled over the top of the cake before it goes in the oven. The cinnamon-scented sugar melts in the oven, slightly caramelising the sliced apples arranged on top of the cake. Please don’t skip this part – it’s what makes the cake truly irresistible.

The smell of this apple cake baking is nothing short of heavenly.

which apples should i use?

Any apples will work in this recipe. I’ve made it using many different varieties – Cox’s, Braeburn, Gala, Pink Lady, or Jazz apples = essentially, any dessert apple is good. Eating apples also work very well in my apple and blackberry flapjack recipe.

You can also use cooking (baking) apples – but if you’re using a tart cooking apple such as Bramleys, increase the sugar in the recipe by 30%.

If you’re looking for recipes to use up cooking apples, why not make the Autumal classic apple and blackberry crumble or my apple and blackberry sponge?

I also have a ever-so-slightly more technically challenging (but not difficult) recipe for Bramley apple and custard cake. The custard runs through the middle of the cake and yes, it’s just as good as it sounds.

how to make this easy apple and cinnamon cake

Please scroll to the bottom of this post to find a printable recipe card with ingredient amounts and detailed instructions on how to make this cake.

Step 1 – Grease and line a deep 20cm cake tin. This is a deep apple cake, so please don’t use a shallow tin!

Step 2 – In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, salt and ground cinnamon.

Step 3 – Preferably using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together for 4-5 minutes or until very light and fluffy. This step incorporates air into the cake, so it’s worth taking your time here.

I use an electric hand mixer to make the sponge, but quite frankly, this can be done with a wooden spoon if you don’t mind a little arm workout. The butter must be soft – if it’s fridge cold, you will never get it to the creamed stage.

I use Stork margarine, which you can use straight from the fridge.

Step 4: Using a large metal spoon, fold in the dry ingredients until you have a smooth batter, then lightly fold in the milk. Take care not to overmix the batter. Finally, fold in the chopped apples. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula to make sure all of the ingredients are incorporated.

Step 5: Pour the cake batter into the lined cake tin and level the top, but don’t worry about making it too perfect.

Step 6 – Top the cake with peeled and sliced apples – be as decorative or as rustic as you wish. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar all over the top, completely covering the apples.

Step 7 – Bake in a preheated oven 180C160Fan/350F/Gas mark 4 for 45-50 minutes or until the cake springs back immediately when lightly pressed in the middle. A skewer inserted in the middle should emerge clean,

serving apple and cinnamon cake

This cake is delicious served warm or cold – with tea or coffee, naturally! I think it’s at it’s peak while it’s still ever so slightly warm – about 2 hours after baking.

And of course, it goes without saying that apple cake is also lovely served as a dessert with custard, ice cream or cream – just like this toffee apple crumble or the nursery classic Eve’s pudding (apple sponge).

storing

This cake will keep in an airtight container or cake tin for up to 4 days, but it’s best eaten within 2 days.

can you freeze this cake?

Yes, apple and cinnamon cake can be frozen for up to 3 months. Wrap the entire cake or slices in double layers of cling film and tin foil before freezing to protect it from freezer burn. Defrost the cake overnight at room temperature.

Continue to Content

Yield: 10 slices

Easy Apple and Cinnamon Cake

Print

A simple but delicious apple and cinnamon cake filled AND topped with fresh apple slices and sprinkled with a crunchy cinnamon sugar topping. It's very easy to make and is ready in under one hour. Lovely on its own or with custard or cream.  

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Ingredients

• 250g self-raising flour
• 1/4 teaspoon fine (table) salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 250g very soft butter
• 250g caster sugar
• 4 large eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
• 1 or 2 tablespoons of milk
• 150g apples, peeled, cored and cut into small pieces
• FOR THE TOPPING
• 2-3 apples (depending on size), peeled, cored and cut into thin wedges
• 2 tablespoons demerara sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/350F. 
2. Grease and base line a deep (not a sandwich tin) 20cm round cake tin. 
3. Sift the flour, salt and ground cinnamon in a medium bowl. Set to one side.
4. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until very light and fluffy.  
5. Gradually add the beaten eggs, beating well after each addition.  Stir in the vanilla extract. 
6. Using a metal spoon, fold in the flour mixture, taking care not to over-mix the batter.   Fold in the milk and the chopped apples.
7. When the batter is smooth and drops easily from a spoon (dropping consistency), pour into the lined cake tin and level the top.
8. Place your apple wedges on top, making a decorative pattern if you like.  
9. In a small bowl, mix together the demerara sugar and ground cinnamon.  Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the apples.
10. Place in the oven and bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.  
11. Remove from the oven and leave in the tin for about 15 minutes before carefully turning out onto a wire rack to cool

Notes

I've used a variety of different apples for this recipe. Pink Lady, Braeburn's, Bramleys (cooking apples), Gala and Cox's all work beautifully.  

If you use cooking (baking) apples such as Bramleys, increase the sugar in the recipe by 30%.

This apple cake will keep in an airtight container or cake box for up to 3 days.

Freeze the cake for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight at room temperature.

This cake is delicious served just as it is with tea or coffee or as a pudding with custard, ice cream or pouring cream.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

10

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 443Total Fat: 23gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 128mgSodium: 490mgCarbohydrates: 56gFiber: 3gSugar: 35gProtein: 5g

Calories and nutritional information are provided by a third party application and should be viewed as indicative figures only.

Did you make this recipe?

Share on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram or Twitter and tag @somethingsweetsomethingsavoury